Vincent Missonak

Though he built a successful career in the insurance industry for 44 years, Vince was also by turns a landscape architect (or so anyone who looked at his lawn would have to believe,) an historian (earned through a lifetime of voracious reading and amateur Jeopardy victories), sports car enthusiast (as his prodigious car collection can attest), and, best of all, a storyteller.

Those who knew Vince well could regularly count on him to regale them with the stories of his life: as a rambunctious young athlete in western Pennsylvania, as a rowdy fraternity student at the University of Pittsburgh, as a jet-setting law student in southern California, and as a hopeless romantic at local disco, The Giraffe, determined to catch the eye of the pretty blonde he was sure he’d spend the rest of his life with. It didn’t matter how many times Vince told these stories; they got better each time.

Vince was right about the blonde, of course. He usually was about everything. In 1978, Vince and Denise were married, and not long after, their careers took them to Chicago, where they’d spend the better part of four decades: building a home, a family, a life. His final dreams took him and his wife to Florida, designing and building his dream home, and living the good life with his wife, his cars, and a gorgeous view.

Vincent leaves behind his beloved wife of 45 years, Denise Missonak (née Betlock), his daughter, Brittany Paige Missonak; son, Christian Alexander Missonak, and daughter-in-law, Katherine Hyten Missonak (née Davidson), and adored miniature poodle, Carly. Vincent was preceded in death by his cherished mother and father, Hildred (Dixie) and Russell Missonak.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in his name to the World Wildlife Fund.